The document U.S. Pat. No. 5,991,318 describes an optically pumped vertical resonator semiconductor laser comprising a monolithically integrated surface emitting semiconductor layer structure. In the case of this known device, the optical pump radiation, the wavelength of which is smaller than that of the laser radiation generated, is supplied by an edge emitting semiconductor diode. The edge emitting semiconductor laser diode is arranged externally in such a way that the pump radiation is radiated obliquely from the front into the amplifying region of the surface emitting semiconductor layer structure. The disclosure content of the document U.S. Pat. No. 5,991,318 is hereby incorporated by reference.
The document U.S. Pat. No. 6,954,479 describes an optically pumped surface emitting semiconductor laser device comprising at least one radiation-generating quantum well structure and at least one pump radiation source. In this case, the pump radiation source serves for optically pumping the quantum well structure. The pump radiation source has an edge emitting semiconductor structure. The radiation-generating quantum well structure and the edge emitting semiconductor structure are grown epitaxially on a common substrate. The disclosure content of the document U.S. Pat. No. 6,954,479 is hereby incorporated by reference.